Ab Urbe Condita
by Quadrantje
Summary: JC Voyager's journey comes to an end and Kathryn discovers that home isn't where she thought it was.
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: The rights to 'Star Trek: Voyager' do not belong to me, nor do those to 'The Mists of Avalon'. No money is being made of this and no infringement of copyright is intended.

This is the first of probably four parts. It occurs somewhere right after 'Muse'. It may take a while for me to post the rest of the story, but I am working on it. This part is a Sinterklaas present to all of you. I hope you like it!

Thanks go to Kimberly, who was and is a great help and a dear friend. Thank you Kimmy!

* * *

**Kathryn Janeway, former Captain of the Federation Starship Voyager, smiled as her eyes raked through the room, coming to rest on each member of her crew. She noted with pleasure how happy they all looked, how at home. The surroundings were lovely; the entire hall was delicately decorated and the joy that radiated from everyone made the air appear to shimmer, like it did on a hot day. Refreshments were on the other side of the room – edible for once. In the left corner, people were dancing; swaying gently to the music, for the fast beats had died out hours before. After their rough landing a year ago, she never would have believed that they'd feel so at home here now. Their days on Voyager had been a source of dreams long after they'd landed here, what she'd longed back to during her darkened hours. Voyager, the place that had become their home when they had none, while all the time that was what they thought they were heading for. Earth – home. She smiled somewhat sadly as she remembered the journey that had indeed brought them home, but that journey couldn't be measured in light years. Home wasn't a building or planet, but a feeling of belonging. Like that old saying: home is where the heart is. She just hadn't realized that their heart – her heart – was on Voyager. And by the time she did realize her home was on Voyager, that home had been ripped away from her. But at least no one had been arrested and forced to spend the rest of their days in jail. Instead all of them had been able to build a new life for themselves. Then she became sombre, as her mind drifted back to those who weren't there; those they'd never see again.**

**She put down her glass on one of the tables strewn across the room and moved to the open doors, while looking back at her former crew – her children – once before vanishing in the dark of night. The houses around her were dim and no moon graced the sky. The only light came from the hall she'd just left, the glow from the windows drawing a long shadow in front of her. Her feet instinctively carried her to the park not too far away. No one else was there and she felt herself being swallowed by the silence, the sounds from the ballroom fading into the night. Her eyes slowly adjusted to the dark and she could make out the stone bench she often sat on during the day, when it was warmed by the sunlight and the surrounding nature made for a beautiful view. Now, without the sun's rays to give it colour, the place looked extremely different. The flowers, usually brightly coloured and sparkling with life, now looked grey and dead. The trees had become black giants, adding to the sinister mood. She sank down on the bench and remained still, observing what she could see of the plant life around her. A cold breeze played with her braided hair and she wrapped her arms around herself as a chill travelled through her spine. The rustling of leaves broke the silence, playing a delicate melody that soothed the old guilt, which still surfaced on nights like these. Her mind found its way to a place close to peace as she sat there; surrounded by nature, enveloped in the strong embrace of the place she called home…**

**-()- (:(o):) -()-**

Kathryn Janeway, Captain of the USS Voyager – although off duty at the moment – walked through the holodeck doors. Chakotay had once again brought up the fact that she needed to take some time off and relax. Reading reports, apparently, didn't count as relaxing. She had of course objected, listing every possible reason for not going, ranging from not needing relaxation to captain's prerogative. Unfortunately, he had fended off all her arguments and had even joked that it was 'first officer's prerogative' to get his captain to take some time off. In the end, she gave in, and booked three hours of holodeck time. She had to admit it wasn't too bad. She was actually looking forward to it.

She started the new program she'd found, designed after an old book written by Marion Zimmer Bradley, called _the Mists of Avalon_. It was set in the England of King Arthur; revolving around Arthur's sister Morgaine, on her path to become a high priestess on the mythical island of Avalon. She had been fascinated by the unusual focus of the story and the timeframe in which it played. In most stories Arthur's sister was told to be the evil sorceress, while here she was portrayed as the calm and wise priestess. And not to mention the scenery was incredibly beautiful; the gorgeous medieval England with its forests and hills, villages and castles, and Avalon, which lay hidden within the mists.

Two hours later, Kathryn was rowing a small boat on the lake that harboured Avalon. This – supposedly – was the test 'Morgaine' had to take in order to become a priestess. To succeed, she had to find her way back to Avalon. Kathryn stood up in the small vessel, her arms spread out to remain balanced. Her hands started to rise in order to make the motion that would part the mists, when the ship suddenly rocked, along with the whole holodeck, throwing Kathryn overboard and into the holographic water. The first thought that entered her head when she resurfaced was that this was another one of Tom Paris' pranks – one he would think twice before repeating when she was done with him. A second later she realized the red alert klaxon was sounding and quickly ended the program. The water surrounding her vanished, as did the over-turned boat, as the mundane yellow and black grid reappeared. She pulled the long gown she'd been wearing over her head and picked up her turtleneck and jacket from the ground to put them back on. Her uniform pants and tank top, which she'd been wearing underneath the gown, were soaking wet, but she didn't even notice as she quickly stalked out the door.

**-()-o-()-**

The bridge was chaotic, everyone trying his best to fight off the alien ship that had suddenly de-cloaked at their star port bow and immediately opened fire. It wasn't a very large vessel, but its first shot had been well placed, blowing out communications in one blast. Their unexpected appearance gave the aliens an advantage and it took a few moments for the bridge crew to fight back. Because of that, the aliens managed to also disable their transporters and bring shields down to 60. Thanks to their time in the Delta Quadrant, however, the crew had learned to act quickly and their surprise didn't last long as they scrambled to gain the upper hand. The small ship soon found that it was outgunned. Just when Tom thought they'd won, another ship appeared, matching the first one in build, but alarmingly bigger. It fired at Voyager, right as the turbo lift doors opened and admitted the Captain. She stumbled onto the bridge, but caught herself on the railing, barking, "Report!"

She moved to her chair as Tuvok reported Voyager's condition. Nodding in comprehension once he finished, she immediately started handing out orders.

"Mister Paris, evasive manoeuvres Beta four. Tuvok, target their weapons. Fire at will."

"Aye, ma'am!" Both men responded, their hands flying across their stations to carry out her orders almost before she'd finished speaking. Once again they showed that the last couple of years had made them all a great team. Voyager slowly regained the upper hand. Apparently, the new ship, although bigger, didn't surpass the first one in firepower and between Tuvok and Tom; the aliens were no match for Voyager. A well-placed phaser shot from Tuvok disabled the weapons of the largest ship. Suddenly both ships swerved and jumped to warp. Within seconds, they were gone. Their disappearance – just as sudden as their arrival – made an end to the battle.

"Stand down red alert." The klaxon stopped and the lights turned back to normal. The bridge crew relaxed somewhat; glad the thread had ended. Tom turned his seat to face the rest of the bridge.

"What do you think they w–" He travelled off mid-sentence as he caught sight of his captain's appearance. Her hair fell in moist tendrils down her face, her jacket clung to her wet torso and droplets of water dripped from the standard issue black pants to the floor of the bridge. "What happened, Captain? Fell overboard?" He joked.

"Actually, yes." She answered, a deadpan expression on her face, daring Tom to contradict her.

"May I point out, Captain, that as we are on a Starship, one does not get wet if he falls overboard? As a matter of fact, one does not even fall overboard." Tuvok interjected.

"One does if she's on the holodeck while Tom's flying! No if you'll excuse me, I believe I'd better change into something dry." She quickly walked to the turbo lift, smiling at the surprised expression on Tom's face, who didn't seem to know whether to take her comment seriously or not.

The lift doors opened and the Captain started to move in, stopping abruptly and turning around just before setting foot in the 'lift. "And I want reports regarding this incident on my desk in one hour." Amazingly enough, even looking like a drowned cat – Tom could swear he'd heard sopping sounds coming from her boots when she walked past Tuvok's station – she still managed to emit authority.

**-()-o-()-**

The rest of the day was peaceful, making Kathryn almost doubt that the attack had been real and not a figment of her imagination. If it weren't for the pile of reports on her desk describing the whole event, she would have chalked it up to her imagination and her hope for some action. As it was, the attack was just another incident in a long line of incidents.

After having changed into a dry uniform, the Captain reported for duty, her remaining holodeck time forgotten. She spent most of the day in her ready room, reviewing reports and trying to piece together who had attacked them and why. Then there were the questions of where to find fresh supplies and ores to keep the ship running and how to get through the remainder of the month with the rations she had left. They were just the usual questions to answer that surfaced for every Starfleet captain who had an addiction to coffee and a ship, which was lost in the Delta Quadrant. The sound of the chime came as a welcome distraction.

"Come in, Commander." Chakotay entered, carrying a padd and a slightly bemused expression.

"How did you know it was me?"

"Let me see. I already have everyone's report on the attack, as well as all the regular ones." She gestured to the pile of padds on her desk and her coffee table, which was also littered with padds and – appropriately so – with coffee mugs as well. "Not to mention it's almost time for dinner. I'd say even Tom wouldn't give out high odds on that one." Chakotay grinned a bit sheepishly and tugged on his ear.

"I didn't realize I was getting predictable." Kathryn smiled back briefly before donning her role as captain again.

"What is the ship's status?"

"Communications and transporters are back online and shields are at 75. However, there was a malfunction that caused some systems to overload. One of their last shots was a direct hit." Kathryn stared out her viewport and seemed to contemplate that for a minute.

"Almost as if they knew where to fire." She mentally shook herself and returned her gaze to Chakotay. "How soon until the damaged systems are functional again?"

"It were mainly the sensors that were damaged, together with a few glitches in the engines and some system failures. Nothing too serious, although Tuvok wasn't exactly happy when his face came into contact with one of Neelix' cakes during a temporal loss of artificial gravity in the mess hall. B'Elanna expects repairs to be finished by tomorrow afternoon. Until then, we're running on impulse engines only."

She smiled briefly when he mentioned Tuvok's problem. "I hope he wasn't too embarrassed."

"Like a true Vulcan, he managed to suppress any hint of discomfort, even when whatever Neelix had used as a substitute for whipped cream turned out to be a bit stickier than it's supposed to be. He had a pretty hard time getting it off."

"Poor Tuvok. And after that transporter accident a little while back."

"I'll never forget the look on his face when instead of beaming him to the transporter room, it dropped him right in the middle of Chell's excuse for chicken soup. I don't think I've ever seen soup that was that **thick.**"

"You don't suppose it's deliberate, do you? I mean, it is a bit coincidental that those malfunctions always involve Tuvok and some kind of abominable food."

"I wouldn't know, but maybe I should have a talk with Tom. Since we're on the topic of food, what do you say to some vegetable lasagne? I happen to know a certain first officer who'd like to have dinner with his captain tonight."

"Well, I don't know about that captain or first officer, but I wouldn't say no to dinner with my best friend." She gave him a small wink.

"My quarters in half an hour?"

"I'll bring the wine." They shared another smile before Chakotay left the ready room, nodding to Tuvok before walking to the turbo lift to return to his quarters, the padd still in his hand. He had some lasagne to make.

**-()-o-()-**

They never got around to that dinner, though. A scant ten minutes after Chakotay had left the captain's ready room and went to his quarters, the ship shook again. Kathryn groaned as she picked herself up from the ground, having been thrown out of her seat at the sudden lurch. She tapped her comm. badge while returning some of the fallen padds to her desk.

"Janeway to Conn."

"Paris here, ma'am."

"Mister Paris, I don't suppose that was another show of your manoeuvring abilities?"

"No ma'am, we've been caught in some kind of spatial rift!"

"I didn't think so." Kathryn muttered. "I'm on my way."

**-()-o-()-**

"What happened?" She didn't waste any time on pleasantries as she came out of her ready room, scanning the faces on the bridge for answers. Harry, standing at Ops, was the quickest to answer.

"We hit a spatial rift. We didn't detect it because sensors are still not working properly." His hands were flying over his consol. "It's draining power from the warp core. It's sucking us in!" He looked up at his captain, a slight panic visible in his eyes.

"Captain to Engineering, how far are you on those engines?"

"_We're working on it, Captain." _B'Elanna's voice reported over the Comm.

"Hurry up, and keep me posted." She closed the link and looked back at Harry. "How long do we have before it does serious damage to the ship?"

"I don't know, ma'am. At the present rate we have an hour at most." She nodded at him, conveying some strength to the young ensign. He relaxed slightly, his fear changing to determination.

"Assemble all the data you can find, I want to know exactly what we're dealing with and more importantly, how to get out. Understood?" The captain received nods and 'aye's from all over the bridge and moved across it to her chair, immediately activating the screen between the two command chairs to call up all the information she could find – which wasn't all together much with half the systems down. Engrossed in their work, no one on the bridge looked up when Chakotay arrived. He quietly asked for an update from Tuvok. A frown appeared on his face when he heard the situation and he quickly walked over to his chair, sitting down next to his Captain who was bent over their shared console. The bridge was silent as everyone worked on a way to break free of the spatial rift without destroying Voyager in the process.

**-()-o-()-**

A loud tearing sound suddenly shattered the silence that accompanied their increasingly desperate search for a solution. Everybody looked up from their panels, their eyes quickly moving to the Captain, hoping she had answers for them.

"Tuvok, report."

"The rift's graviton pull has increased. Our hull plating is being ripped off. Impulse is no longer sufficient to maintain position." The Captain had risen from her chair without even realizing it.

"Bridge to Torres. Now would be a good time to get those warp engines online!"

"_I'm trying, but we could use some help down here!"_ A slight nod from Janeway was all Harry needed to be on his way to Engineering.

"We're loosing too much power. Life support is failing on decks 14 and 15."

"Evacuate those decks!" Another shredding sound was audible and Voyager lurched radically. "Reinforce the hull!"

"We can't. There's not enough power! Our only chance is to get the warp engines online and break free." Chakotay's eyes locked with hers briefly, conveying the support his words could not.

"B'Elanna!" Janeway almost shouted into the still open comm. line.

"We're almost there, but there's just not enough power!"

"Reroute all secondary power to the engines!"

"_Come on." _B'Elanna's plea to the ship mingled with all the other noise of the bridge. Kathryn balled her hands into tight fists, her knuckles quickly turning white. Time seemed to stand still for a moment as the whole bridge crew silently prayed for the warp engines to work.

"_I've got it! Powering up warp engines."_ Everyone on the bridge released a collective sigh of relief. Running her hands through her hair Kathryn unclenched her fists and called out:

"Mister Paris, get us out of here at maximum warp!" Tom happily complied and with a few more wrenching sounds, Voyager quickly retreated to safer waters.

**-()-o-()-**

An hour later, Janeway called a senior staff meeting to discuss the events of the day. All the faces showed anxiety or weariness; even Tuvok looked more serious than normal – the Vulcan equivalent of looking worried. Kathryn looked around the room once to see all their attention focussed on her. Then she looked at B'Elanna and opened the meeting.

"What is the extent of the damage?"

"The warp engine is back online, but I don't know for how long. It could shut down any moment. Transporters, long-range sensors and holo emitters are off line. Short-range sensors are barely working and shields are down to less than 25. Life support is down on decks 11 through 15. The rift tore off a lot of the hull plating as well and drained an enormous amount of power. We've started working on repairs, but the ship is in pretty bad shape. There isn't much we can do without replacement parts and we will probably have to land somewhere to restore the hull. In addition to that, our supply of ores is running low, especially dilithium." B'Elanna's voice held less fervour than usual and her frown had added a ridge to those on her brow.

"Were there any injuries?" Worry lines clearly showed in Kathryn's face.

"A few, but none too severe." The doctor smiled reassuringly to no one in particular. "The crew on the de-pressurised decks were evacuated on time and thanks to some quick thinking," His smile turned a bit smug. "my program had already been downloaded onto the portable emitter before the holo grid went off line."

"All right, our main focus should be the repairs. Seven, are there any planets on sensor where we might be able to get replacement parts and ores?"

"There are none on short-range sensors. However, before the attack, long-range sensors did detect a system. It contained four planets, one of which M-class, and was centred around a yellow dwarf star. The sensors went off line before I could acquire more data."

"That'll just have to do. Tom, plot a course with Seven to the approximate coordinates of that system. Tuvok, I want a detailed report on that spatial rift. B'Elanna and Harry, continue with the repairs. Dismissed." Everybody filed out of the briefing room, their spirits a bit higher now that they again had a goal to work towards. When only Chakotay was left, she sank down into her chair, scrolling through the contents of a padd. After a few moments she looked up at him, her slightly clouded eyes silently asking him why he was still there.

"What if we run out of power before we reach a planet with the necessary ores?" His voice was as calm as ever.

"We won't." Hers sounded a bit sharper than she'd intended, but her determination was clear.

"How can you be so sure we'll succeed?"

"Because we have to. I promised I'd get them home and I won't break that promise."

"Maybe we're already home." His eyes told her there was more he wanted to say, but after a short hesitation, he turned around and left the room, leaving her to think about what he'd said – and what he hadn't said.

**-()-o-()-**

Voyager's stubborn, redheaded Captain was on the bridge when they reached the M-class planet where they hoped to repair their ship. She was reading a padd, focussed entirely on its contents, but still keeping an ear open for any change on the bridge. Normally she would have read the report in her ready room, but considering the two unpleasant encounters they'd already had and Voyager's weakened state, she'd decided to remain in her chair on the bridge, able to keep a close watch on all systems. Except for a small frown, nothing in her expression or posture indicated that something was wrong, yet inside her mind was going at warp speed – even though her ship was not – and her worries were steadily growing. Not only were shields stuck at approximately 32, but the warp drive had also malfunctioned about 1 billion kilometres away from the planet, forcing them to travel the last part on impulse only. The padd she was reading contained Seven's report with all the data they'd been able to collect on the planet, both from before the sensors went offline and after. It looked promising enough, with dilithium in some of the northern areas and a good climate around the planet's equator. It was uninhabited, meaning that they would have to get spare parts somewhere else, but it did contain a large quantity of edible vegetation to restock their depleted food supply.

She looked up when Tom announced they had reached the planet and put the padd down. Sitting up slightly straighter in her chair, she ordered him to land Voyager.

"I'll try, but it's gonna get tricky with those sensors that keep acting up."

"I'm sure you can do it, Lieutenant. Just take us down slowly."

"Aye, ma'am." Paris followed her instructions and went down on minimum impulse, keeping a close watch for any sign of trouble. Apart from a few bumps and some swaying, it went pretty well – until he wanted to put Voyager down. Instead of a gentle touchdown on the large clearing that was visible on the view screen and readable on sensors, the hull suddenly scraped against a harder surface, making a loud screeching sound that could be heard even on the bridge. Kathryn felt a coldness grab her heart, fearing for her crew and herself like in every previous situation where they'd faced serious problems. Then, suddenly and just for a second, she had the feeling that they'd be home soon. It was a gut feeling and had already gone before she was able to identify it, but it caused a surge of hope to flow through her. She felt reassured and safe and the earlier fear had vanished.

"What was that?" She looked around with a new determination and her voice was just a notch lighter than before, which was only noticed by Chakotay. Paris was working feverishly on his console and didn't have time to answer, so her question hung in the air for a moment.

"The sensor data is wrong!" Harry's answer came from behind her and she and Chakotay turned around. Harry didn't look up to meet their eyes, but continued to type in commands. Then his head shut up abruptly, his wide eyes meeting the command duo's. The noise had stopped as Tom had managed to fly Voyager a bit higher.

"This is data from about twelve hours ago, the clearing is now on the other side of the planet!" Tom's head jerked in his direction.

"Can you adjust the sensors?"

"No, but I can see what they say about the other side of the planet. Or, what they say is the other side. The problem is that I don't know exactly how much the planet has rotated, so I won't know where we are right now."

"Do it. Captain to Engineering. B'Elanna, the sensors are malfunctioning."

"_I know, the problem is, the computer doesn't. It can't locate the problem and the diagnostic says the sensors are working fine. I don't even know where to start with repairs."_

"Thank you, B'Elanna." Kathryn terminated the comm. link and turned back to Harry. "Any progress?"

"No, ma'am."

"All right, Mister Paris. You're going to have to land her on instinct."

"Captain." Harry interfered from Ops. "I don't know where we are, but sensors show that the other side of the planet is mostly mountains. Without sensors working properly, it's going to be one hell of a ride."

"We'll have to take that chance; we can't stay here much longer. In the state Voyager is now, an ion storm could be devastating and we can't rely on sensors to detect them in time. Take us down, Mister Paris."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Go to blue alert. Captain to all hands, brace for impact." She gripped the hand rest on her seat and turned her eyes to the big view screen, even though she knew it showed the wrong side of the planet. Everyone around her was tense and she more sensed than saw Chakotay frowning in the chair next to her. Despite the situation, she still felt that spark of hope that had remained from her 'premonition' and she drew strength from it. The loud wrecking rattle returned and she knew their lives were now in the hands of fate. She had always been the scientist, needing to know the answers and hear the explanations for everything before she could accept it. Now, she had to rely on their luck that they wouldn't land on the top of one of those mountains or fly right into one. She was surprised how easy she found it to accept that, believing they'd be fine even thought the chances were against them. It was almost like her determination to get home; if she believed in it strong enough and didn't give up, they would get there. Her gaze shifted from the view screen to Tom, who was punching in commands on his station so fast she was almost surprised it was still working.

Without warning there was a loud crash and the whole ship shook violently, before it became quiet. She felt her head smash against something hard before everything turned black…


	2. A Journey Ends

Disclaimer: see part one.

Okay, so here's finally the second part. Sorry for taking so long. Thanks go to Allison, Voyagergal and Archantel for reviewing and yes, I do know the water should have vanished in the first chapter, but I liked this better; I'm using my artistic licence on this one. I hope everyone likes this chapter too, and please review!

And of course thank you Kermit, I would probably never have gotten past that first attack in chapter 1 if it weren't for your encouragement. You're a story-saver!

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Kathryn woke up feeling disoriented and a bit unsteady. Chakotay's name was spoken somewhere in the background, but it was faint and she couldn't make out any other words. She groggily opened her eyes; only to slam them shut a second later, the bright lights of sickbay hurting her eyes. She kept them closed as she tried to sit up. The movement made her head throb and she moaned softly while leaning on her elbows, only propped up a bit. Her moan must have caught the Doctor's attention for he was standing in front of her when she dared to open her eyes slightly for the second time. He admonished her for trying to sit up 'in her physical state' and darkly muttered something about difficult patients, but shut up quickly when she glared at him. Her eyes had slowly adjusted to the lights and squinting, she looked around her. As she had deduced earlier, she was in sickbay, lying on one of the biobeds. All the other biobeds were occupied, but none of their occupants seemed seriously injured. Most of them sported bruises, broken limbs or burns. A few of the others seemed knocked out, but she couldn't be sure. Tom and the other people aboard with medical expertise were circling around, healing the injured as best they could. The Doctor had also moved on to other patients after giving her a quick scan for any lingering effects.

She tried to sit up straight again, but faltered. Suddenly strong arms were supporting her, helping her up and putting some pillows behind her back. Once she was seated she turned her head to see Chakotay smile back at her. Kathryn gave him a small smile in return, letting him see she was okay, before demanding to know the status of her ship and crew.

"You know Voyager wasn't in a very good shape to begin with, and ramming her halfway into a mountain didn't exactly help. Just about every system apart from life support is down and B'Elanna is fighting tooth and nail to make sure that doesn't fail too." His disarming smile took the sting out of his report, but couldn't completely belay her uneasiness.

"What about our crew? Were there any casualties?" A slight dizziness manifested itself in her head and quickly spread through her body. With all the strength she could muster she willed it away again, hoping that Chakotay wouldn't notice.

"A few, but not as much as expected in a situation like this. The lower decks were hit the worst as they were the ones that directly rammed into the mountain. As we hadn't gotten around to fix life support on decks 11 to 15, there was no one there. We were lucky; we would have lost dozens of people if it hadn't been for that earlier malfunction." He realised she wasn't looking at him any more, instead her eyes were closed and her expression was somewhat strained.

"Kathryn? Are you alright?" She opened her eyes again and started to nod when she suddenly lost her balance. Chakotay immediately put his arms around her, leaning her against him to steady her.

"I'm fine." She rasped after a few minutes. "Just a bit dizzy." She started to move away and he reluctantly released her, beckoning over the Doctor while she sat up again.

"Doc, how is the Captain? Will she have to remain in sickbay?" Said captain already opened her mouth to object to whatever the doctor might say when he shook his head.

"No, except for some light-headedness and maybe a mild headache she's fine. As long as someone keeps an eye on her and makes sure she doesn't overdo it, she's free to go." Her mouth snapped shut, but neither the Doctor nor her First Officer seemed to be paying attention to her.

"I'll stay with her. How long until she can return to duty?"

"After some good night's rest, she'll be as healthy as a woman her age can be." Those last words earned him a cold look – also known as a Death Glare – from his captain, but they still didn't notice her. Her patience had had all it could take.

"Will you two stop talking about me as if I'm not here?" Her harsh tone certainly got their attention; the Doctor visibly shrunk under her look and even Chakotay looked slightly abashed. "Good. Now, Chakotay, shall we?" Without waiting for an answer she slid off the bed, grabbing Chakotay's arm when she felt the dizziness return, and almost dragged him out of sickbay. The doctor heaved an audible sigh after the doors had closed behind them and whipped some non-existing sweat off his brow.

"As Mr. Paris would say; that was a close call." He muttered with a tickle of sarcasm. "She didn't even protest Chakotay's company." He rolled his eyes skyward – well, he intended to anyway. Instead, his eyes rolled to the back of his head and got stuck there. The Doctor sighed and mumbled something along the line of 'and of course they can't spare someone to repair **me**, I'm just a hologram'. He gave a hard knock first on his mobile emitter and when that didn't work, on his own head. His eyes shot back with a plop and he ran his tricorder over the next patient, still grumbling.

**-()-o-()-**

The following morning the captain woke up feeling well rested. For the first time in years she'd fallen asleep the moment her head hit the pillow. She quickly changed into her uniform and walked to the living room. Smiling gently when she noticed the figure on her couch, she remembered the night before. Chakotay had refused to return to his quarters yesterday evening after he'd escorted her back from sickbay and had instead spent the night on her sofa. His excuse had been that he'd promised the Doctor he'd keep an eye on her and would do just that, but she had seen in his eyes that he needed to know she was safe; that's why he was staying. The silent resolution on his face and the hint of anxiety in his dark pools had stopped her from arguing. Although she would never admit it to him – had in fact barely admitted it to herself – his presence had made her too feel safe. For just a night she'd been able to forget about the heavy burden that lay on her shoulders and fallen asleep easily. She was a bit surprised that he was still asleep, but decided not to wake him. Instead, she left him a message on a padd, picked up the blanket that had fallen to the ground and covered him with it. With a last glance to ensure he was still asleep, she left for the Mess Hall to get a cup of coffee.

**-()-o-()-**

By 1300 hours, Kathryn was busy replacing a burned-out relay in one of the Jeffries tubes on deck 7. Every crewman that could be spared had been called on to help with the repairs, leaving a skeleton crew to deal with the normal running of the ship. And now that they had landed Voyager, there wasn't all that much to run. Suddenly she heard someone shout her name through the tubes.

"In here!" She called back and turned her head in the direction of the sound to see who it was, as the echo's had made that impossible to tell. Within a few minutes, Chakotay appeared around a corner and gave her a wide smile. "What are you doing here?"

"I thought I'd make sure you got something to eat. Doctor's orders." She threw him a mock glare before one corner of her mouth tugged up into her famous lopsided grin.

"Just let me finish replacing this relay."

"Sure, I'll even lend you a hand." She rolled her eyes at his mock generosity, but couldn't help but smile again.

"You're too kind." For the next few minutes they worked in companionable silence, quickly finishing the work.

"All done." Kathryn stated firmly while picking up her tools again and crawling towards the nearest hatch. After a few meters she stopped and looked back at Chakotay, who was replacing the conduit. "Coming?" She said teasingly. Her only answer was a big dimpled grin that made her heart flutter in a very uncaptainly way before Chakotay followed her through the pipe.

**-()-o-()-**

The Mess Hall was not very crowded when they entered, as lunch shift was almost over. They ordered some lunch, but Neelix detained them for a few minutes while babbling on about one of his latest creations. It of course contained Leola Root and he was certain it would become a favourite of the crew's. Their obvious doubt didn't show on either of their faces. The only thing that saved Kathryn from having to taste the dish was that Chakotay told Neelix she was still a bit nauseous as a result of her injury and it would therefore be better if she ate something without too much flavour. That, however, got **him **stuck with having to taste it.

"Nausea because I hit my head?" Kathryn couldn't help but ask Chakotay once they sat down at their usual table. "Now, I'm not a doctor, but that does sound strange. I hope it's not serious." Her eyes twinkled at him even as she managed to keep a straight face.

"Apparently, it's very common… for Bolians. I remember Chell having it once."

"Well, no matter what made you think of it, thank you for saving me from that." She pointed at the strange red-and-blue goo, which in response twinged in seeming discomfort. She blinked once or twice in surprise before looking back at Chakotay. "Correct me if I'm wrong, Chakotay, but I believe your food just moved. What did Neelix say it was?" Chakotay just shrugged.

"I've learned not to listen too carefully to what my food is called, it tends to be easier to eat that way."

"Well Chakotay," she laughed, pointing her fork at him, "maybe you can get out of trying this by reminding Neelix that you're a vegetarian." He looked down at the unappealing substance again, saw the distinctive tremor it gave, and decided to take Kathryn's advice. He walked back over to the counter and came back a few minutes later with a fairly normal-looking salad and some bread.

"Now that looks much better – not to mention edible." He sat down again and as they had both skipped breakfast – she because she'd had too little time and he because he'd been asleep until well past breakfast – they dug in and were silent for the next ten minutes. Finally, after their first hunger was sated, Chakotay easily started another conversation.

"Thanks for letting me sleep this morning. I didn't realise I was that tired."

"It's the least I could do after yesterday evening. I imagine you were quite exhausted." Her thoughts momentarily flooded back to the previous day. It had definitely been strenuous, between a battle, a spatial rift and a rough landing. Her thoughts were transported back the present as Chakotay opened his mouth to speak again.

"What about you? It must have been draining for you too."

"I guess those few minutes of 'sleep' I got in sickbay really helped." Her words were accompanied by a light-hearted smile. After that their conversation turned to business matters and a few minutes later they split up while he went to the bridge and she returned to Engineering.

At the table next to the one they'd just abandoned, a grin played on Tom Paris' face as his mind went over the conversation he'd just overheard. They had been totally oblivious to his presence the whole time and he had heard every word they'd said. It was clear to him that the Captain and Commander had spent the night in the same quarters, probably hers, and that the previous day had been quite tiring for both of them. The mischievous glint in his eyes would have made Harry sigh and bid his nice shiny pip goodbye had he seen it. Tom Paris had just come up with an idea, one that had the potential to earn him a lot of rations from the betting pools – or meant trouble and possible demotion for everyone involved.

**-()-o-()-**

"Come in, Commander." Chakotay stepped thought the ready room doors.

"There's no surprising you, is there?" Kathryn looked up from her position on the floor.

"I'm already surprised you could find me; I've been all over the ship with these damn repairs." She gestured to the relay she was replacing and pulled a face. "On the other hand, I'm betting you've come to remind me to have some dinner, which of course you're willing to provide. All that's missing now is my presence." Her grin could almost be called hopeful. The tug on his ear told her she was either right or he was going to tell her something she wouldn't like.

"Actually, I just finished talking to the Doctor. He wants to check you over to see if you have any more head injuries. He said to tell you to report to sickbay immediately." Her smile turned wry and she rolled her eyes at him.

"I don't suppose it would help if I told you I feel fine?"

"It wouldn't. Now we'd better go, the Doc was quite adamant you come right away. He didn't want you to escape his clutches." She didn't respond, but turned her back to him and made some modifications to the just installed relay. "Kathryn?"

"I'm coming. I just had to finish this." She stood up and brushed some dust from her knees. Then she looked up at Chakotay again. "You don't have to escort me to sickbay, Commander. This is my ship, I know perfectly well where it is."

"Well, can't have you 'forgetting' this appointment."

"Would I do that?" She was already walking to the door to the bridge and her tone was light. He sighed dramatically.

"Kathryn, you're notorious for forgetting your physicals. Even the newest ensign on the ship – had that been possible – would know you don't like to go to sickbay. So yes, you would do that."

"Can't blame a girl for trying." She winked before stepping into the sensor range so the door opened. "Nobody likes doctors; they have cold hands."

"Kathryn, he uses a tricorder. Not to mention that he's a hologram." His only answer was an exasperated glance as she crossed the bridge.

**-()-o-()-**

"Oh, come on Doc. It's not that big a deal. Besides, you would be able to keep a closer eye on her. And what harm can it do?" Tom was pulling out all the stops in his pleading with the Doctor. Unfortunately for him, the hologram was immune to his blue puppy-dog look and had moral subroutines that did not like being ignored.

"No, absolutely not! I will not tell the Captain to wear a cortical node just so you can see if she's participating in any … sexual activity." Had his program contained the necessary subroutines, the Doctor would now be producing more steam than an average steamer. "I'm a doctor, not a chaperone. And, Mr Paris, I'm definitely not you!"

"And we're forever grateful you're not." Janeway quipped as she strolled in with Chakotay. "It's difficult enough having one Tom Paris, I don't even want to contemplate having two."

"Captain!" The Doc jumped at her voice and seemed to deflate while his anger vanished. Tom wondered briefly whether he had actually been producing steam, but quickly dismissed the thought.

"Don't sound so surprised; you did **order** me here." The Doctor grumbled a bit and shot Paris a loathing glance, but decided to use the opportunity and examine the Captain; after all, it was almost a miracle she'd come. Tom quickly returned to his work refilling the medical supplies. While doing that, he kept an eye on his commanding officers. The Doc quickly scanned the Captain and studied the readings for a minute, a look of near shock appearing on his face. Janeway and Chakotay didn't pay any attention to it. They seemed to be having a communication with just their eyes and facial expressions. Tom's attention was pulled away from the pair by the sound of a loud cough. He looked up to see the Doctor staring pointedly at him, his expression somewhere between amusement and austerity. Tom quickly returned to his job, but strained his ears to hear what the others were saying.

"Well, Doctor. Is there a problem?"

"No, no problem. Your caffeine levels are lower than usual and your body actually seems rested for a change." His surprise at those readings was noticeable in his voice.

"The replicators are still down, so it's a bit difficult to get coffee today." The Captain explained.

"I guess that must have helped you sleep too. I told you that might help with your insomnia." Paris could practically see the Captain roll her eyes, however, her answer sounded anything but annoyed.

"Oh, I think that cutting back on coffee wasn't exactly what helped me sleep." Her voice had dropped to something that very much resembled a purr and Tom's head whipped around to catch her expression. She was staring up at Chakotay with a crooked grin and an unidentifiable look in her eyes. Tom's mind went over this new information while the Doctor told Janeway she was fit to go and Tom just caught Chakotay inviting her to dinner before the sickbay doors closed. As soon as his shift was over he raced to Harry's quarters, a new glint alight in his eyes.

**-()-o-()-**

"Chakotay?" The commander looked up from the food he was preparing to face Kathryn, whose eyes were serious and held an emotion he hesitated to name. "Thank you."

"What for?" Her realization from that morning, about how his presence made her feel safe, had stirred something in her and she plunged into uncharted territory. Collecting her thoughts she took a deep breath before meeting his eyes with hers.

"For always being there for me. You always try to make things easier for me, making my burdens lighter. I don't know what I would have done without you." Chakotay laid down his knife and turned to come face to face with her.

"You're welcome." They stared at each other for minutes before he finally came to his senses and turned back to the food to add pasta to the boiling water. He quickly changed the subject. "How are the repairs coming along?"

**-()-o-()-**

"Okay, that's it. You ready?" Tom looked from the console they'd been working on to Harry.

"I can't believe I let you talk me into this." As opposed to Tom's expression of excitement, Harry looked wary, but resigned to his fate – whatever that would be.

"Oh, come on, Har. This is gong to be great! Where's your sense of adventure?"

"It decided it wasn't old enough to participate in one of your schemes. I don't know what's worse; that my sense of adventure is smarter than I am or that I'm actually doing this." Tom rolled his eyes at Harry's lack of enthusiasm, but didn't comment. Instead, he turned the panel on.

"_Oh, Chakotay, this is wonderful."_ The Captain was practically moaning in delight. _"What did you say it was called?"_ Tom's eyes grew wide.

"Sounds like I was right about them finally getting together." Harry turned a definite shade of pink in embarrassment and looked slightly sick at the same time. They could hear Chakotay's chuckle over the one-way comm. link.

"_I'm glad you like it, Kathryn. It's called Tagliatelle. I had to use some substitutes, but I think these Talaxian tomatoes improved the taste."_ Harry had to laugh at Tom's sudden dumbfound expression and closed the comm. link.

"That'll teach you not to listen in on other people's conversations. Now come on, you better hurry if you still want to make that dinner you promised B'Elanna. Hey, you could make tagliatelle, it sounded delicious." He gave Tom a pat on the back and dashed out the door before Tom regained the use of his voice and managed to rope him into doing the cooking.

**-()-o-()-**

_**Captain's log, star date 53932.4.**_

_**It's been a week since we landed Voyager. Until yesterday almost everyone, including me, was working on repairs, but we're quickly running out of spare parts. I've sent out shuttles to search neighbouring planets for much needed spare components and away teams under the supervision of Mr Neelix are on the planet to look for edible plants, to restock our food supply. The only systems operational are life support, short-range sensors, replicators and the comm. system. The remaining Engineering crew is using replicated parts to continue repairs, but most are just too complicated to replicate. Lieutenant Torres is trying to build some of the more crucial and complex components from scrap and has made some progress in getting weapons online. I'm looking through ships systems for anything that could help us. Meanwhile, Tuvok is working very hard with the security teams and is coming up with alternative defences, as we're practically helpless down here. Work is slow going, but I'm sure we'll manage to get this ship flying again. I've got a crew to get home. End Log.**_

**-()-o-()-**

_**Captain's log, star date 53937.6.**_

**_We've now completely exhausted our spare parts, but did manage to get weapons online; or phaser banks at least. None of the shuttles have found a civilization or ship, let alone one advanced enough to obtain the spare parts we need. But half of the shuttles isn't back yet, so maybe one of the other teams found something useful. Neelix has been very successful in finding foodstuffs. He's only explored the eastern valley, but that has enough edible plants to last us for at least a few weeks. Lieutenant Torres has relinquished her effort to build some of the parts we need in favour of searching for ores. Sensors have detected a large quantity of dilithium a few miles north of here and she has taken a team there today to see if it's possible to mine. We don't have any people to spare so I've delayed exploring other parts of the planet until repairs have progressed or until the food in the eastern valley starts to run low. Repairs are going to take a long time, but we seem to at least have landed on a fertile planet. I wonder why no one has settled here before. Reports from the shuttles that have returned indicate the other three planets in this system also hold useful resources, although none of those planets are M-class. Whatever happens, we won't run out of resources soon. End log._**

**-()-o-()-**

_**Captain's log, star date 53940.7.**_

**_Almost all of the shuttles have returned by now, but two still have yet to come back. None of the away teams state that they've found anything that could be of use in repairing Voyager. Replicator use is now restricted to medicine and engineering equipment or parts only, as we don't know how much longer we'll have to rely on them. Repairs have almost ceased, as more people are needed to gather supplies now that everyone eats in the mess hall or from what they cook themselves. A few crewmen have volunteered to work in the mess hall, while Neelix is still mostly out on the planet to coordinate the food extraction. However, even the resulting higher quality of food hasn't been able to keep moral up. A large portion of the crew has already given up hope of ever getting off this planet and Lt. Tuvok has informed me some are even discussing what living on a planet again will be like. And even those that still have confidence in Voyager and me have taken to calling the planet _Vora_. Tom Paris came up with that name and informed me it stands for '_Voyager's Repair Area'_. But, no matter how uplifting that name sounds, it still means a lot of the crew have already given up. End log._**

**-()-o-()-**

_**Captain's log, star date 53942.3.**_

**_Commander Chakotay stormed into my Ready Room at the start of my shift today and practically demanded I give up the search for spare parts and prepare to build a home on this godforsaken planet. Apparently I'm 'not seeing reason' and am 'too stubborn to see what's best for my crew and myself'. How dare he! So I kindly informed him I'd already gotten stuck on a planet with him once and that was more than enough. Not to mention that I've made a promise to this crew to get them home and I'll keep to that, even if _he_ thinks it isn't in their and my best interest to do so. It seems he finally came to his senses though, and realized we are still in a command structure and _I_'m the captain. When I told him I wanted to send out the Delta Flyer to explore the sensor readings Seven has discovered in the logs of one of the shuttles that returned yesterday and which might indicate a vessel, he had the nerve to tell me he'd lead the mission even though it was 'doomed to fail'. He left just a few minutes ago and took Harry and crewman Nicoletti with him. He'd better have cooled down when he gets back, because if he ever pulls a stunt like that again I'll throw him in the brig for the rest of this journey, which will continue, despite believes to the contrary. End log._**

**-()-o-()-**

_**Captain's log, star date 53942.4.**_

**_I'll have to apologize to Chakotay once he gets back. He was just being the good First Officer he's been for the past five – almost six – years. He may have acted with slightly less restraint than my normally consummate officer, but the weeks on this planet have done that to everyone. I myself behaved far from admirable and allowed our little disagreement to turn into a full-blown fight. I guess I saw his suggestion to stop the searches as a sign that he'd given up too, just like so many of our crew. I saw it as a sign that he was loosing confidence in me and didn't support me like he promised he would. I'll try to make it up to him once he comes back. I just hope he finds something to get Voyager running again. End log._**

**-()-o-()-**

"_Bridge to Captain Janeway." _Kathryn shot up in her bed and quickly tapped her comm. badge lying on her bedside table.

"Janeway here."

"_Captain, the Delta Flyer has just returned. The away team … um … isn't in very good shape, ma'am."_ The hesitant Lieutenant in charge of Gamma Shift said. Kathryn was instantly wide-awake as all kind of horrible scenarios flashed through her mind. Her shock lasted no longer than a split second and wasn't even noticeable to the young Lieutenant on the bridge.

"Beam all members of the away team directly to sickbay and inform the Doctor I'm on my way. Janeway out." As soon as the comm. link had closed she hurried into her uniform and walked out of her quarters. The way to sickbay seemed to last forever, but she willed herself not to run and look as if everything was normal. Even their journey home didn't seem as long as the few minutes it took to get to sickbay.

Upon arriving she saw Sue Nicoletti sitting on a biobed and pressing a hand to her head while laughing with the Delaney sisters. A biobed further an obviously weak Harry was being fussed over by Seven, who seemed to alternate between scolding him for getting injured and asking if anything hurt. Harry went through all of it with a sheepish grin on his face, a possible result of both 'feeling like mush' – as Tom would have said – or Seven's behaviour. As Janeway entered he looked up and whispered a 'Good to see you again, Captain'. A quick smile was all she could muster. Then her eyes landed on the biobed on the far side, where a motionless Chakotay lay. Both Tom Paris and the Doctor were bent over his still form. Her heart skipped a beat as she saw his handsome bronze face covered in an ashen hue.

"How is he, Doctor?" The hologram gave her a quick glance before turning his eyes to the tricorder in his hand.

"His injuries are quite serious. I've given him a sedative while Mr Paris and I repair the wounded tissue. Don't worry; he'll be all right. If everything goes well, he'll be ready to be released by tomorrow and be back on duty in a few days." He turned around rather abruptly and continued treating the Commander. Kathryn, still standing by the biobed, looked down at his large form and grasped his hand. Her thumb caressed the back of his hand as she leaned down and whispered to him.

"You better hurry up and get well, Chakotay, because I owe you an apology." Realizing she was standing in the Doctor's way, she gave a last lopsided grin before pulling up her command mask again. She released his hand and briskly walked over to Nicoletti and Kim.

"What happened?"

"We were attacked, Captain." Came Harry's answer. "It turned out that planet Seven thought she saw on sensors belongs to the same race that attacked us a few days ago."

"Thank you, Ensign. Why don't you both take tomorrow off to recover and rest up." She strolled out of sickbay before they could reply.

**-()-o-()-**

The planet seemed sinister as it lay before her, dipped in the black of night. An almost full moon cast a pale light over the large hills at her feet and the stars in the sky formed unfamiliar constellations. She still wasn't used to that even though she'd spent practically her whole adult life in Starfleet, constantly going to distant parts of the galaxy; not to mention the last six years in the Delta Quadrant. The hills were barren, as only the valleys between them held life.

Words and events tumbled through her mind, some about the planet, others concerning Voyager's journey, but most visiting another planet in a different quadrant, one that still was thousands of light years away. Over twenty-two thousand to be precise. She sighed; they'd made it at least two third of the way home, only to be stopped by an attack and a spatial rift. She'd probably never see Earth again, none of them would.

She remembered her family – her parents, sister, relatives – and the old house that held so many wonderful childhood memories. The wide fields, golden with corn come harvest time and her thinking tree in the back of the yard. From those years in Bloomington her thoughts drifted to the ones in Starfleet. How she'd worked her way through the Academy and did all she could to make her father proud, only to be helpless in the face of his death. Her change to command track and all the guidance Admiral Paris had given her. How she'd worked her way through the ranks to finally be given her first command – and to ultimately end up stranded here.

All the while she stared at the moon, the only familiar sight in the alien world she now faced.

Suddenly she straightened up and wiped away the lone tear on her cheek. Her eyes made a slow sweep of the surrounding area as the red glow on the horizon announced the coming dawn. Her mind returned to her ship and crew and her expression became detached as she turned around. There lay Voyager, its hull battered and systems failing, but with a lively crew. A crew that would now have to build a new home, one on this planet: on Vora.

With a new goal planted firmly in her mind, Captain Kathryn Janeway stepped towards the exit hatch to inform the crew that they'd be home soon. A home of their own making.

**-()-o-()-**

Over two days later she stood in that same spot again, overlooking the high hillsides and the dramatic dips of the valleys. Only this time it was broad daylight, somewhere around seven o'clock in the morning, and Chakotay stood to her side. The rest of the away team stood behind them and was scanning the surroundings or climbing out of the access hatch to join them. When they were all gathered around her, Kathryn told them they'd start at the eastern valley and initiate their search for an appropriate site to build their new home from there. They silently made their way to the valley.

Once there they began to scan again, taking more precise readings with the tricorders they'd modified in the last few days to improve their scanning range. It had taken a lot of work from B'Elanna and Harry, but the scans now extended to the edge of the valley. Kathryn and Chakotay had just spotted a clearing at the far edge of the valley and were moving that way to explore it more closely when they heard a sound behind them and whirled around.

"Kathy! Welcome to the _Karim_ system!" Kathryn groaned when she heard the familiar voice and closed her eyes for a moment to gather her patience before looking at Q, who had just appeared a few foot behind them.

"What do you want, Q?" She could feel the throbbing at her temple begin that announced a coming headache.

"Why Kathy, I'm hurt!" Q said in his normal indignant voice. "I come to help you and your pathetic crew and you greet me as if I'm some kind of pest." Kathryn merely heaved a big sigh and Chakotay found it wiser to hear Q out before informing him he wasn't a pest – a pest would have been much more welcome. "Oh well, as you obviously don't want my help, I'll just go. I have better things to do, you know. Maybe I'll strand Jean-Luc Picard on a planet with that gorgeous doctor of his. What was her name? Beehive, Beebe, Beverly? I'm sure he'd appreciate it, not to mention make more use of it than you two did. _Humans_. I went through all that trouble with bugs, which are even more dull than you bipeds if you can imagine, to give you some alone time with Chuckles here, far from command protocol and all that you're always nagging to him about, and you can't even muster up something as simple as a kiss!" He huffed in a rather patronizing way, but Kathryn didn't really notice. She was momentarily speechless and didn't snap out of it until Q raised his arm to snap his fingers.

"Wait. What did you mean about helping us?" She didn't even dare touch the subject of her and Chakotay's time on New Earth. Q raised an eyebrow at her and frowned at her in a demeaning manner, but didn't comment.

"Oh, just go to the top of that hill there and you'll see what I mean." He pointed to the hill south of Voyager. "Bye, Kathy." With a snap of his fingers he vanished again. Kathryn and Chakotay stood staring at each other for a few minutes, absolutely stunned, before Chakotay spoke for the first time since Q had appeared.

"Well, that was… interesting. But we'd better head back to the rendezvous point." Janeway nodded mutely and they walked back in silence.

**-()-o-()-**

They quickly rounded up the rest of the away team and went on their way back to Voyager. There, they checked in to see how everything was going before walking through the valley south of Voyager and to the hill Q had pointed out. Even though they travelled as fast as possible, it was almost sundown when they reached the summit. Kathryn was the first to arrive at the top and immediately stopped. Chakotay, who was immediately behind her, bumped against his frozen Captain – and halted too. They overlooked the next valley in shock and amazement. The rest of the team slowly arrived and gathered around them, also stunned into silence by the scene that greeted them. There, illuminated by the red glow from the setting sun, was a large but seemingly uninhabited city, with a large sign in front of it. The sign read **_Vora_**…


	3. A Journey Begins

Disclaimer: see part one.

Thanks go to Tinker J, Blackstars, Elvewin Darkdragon, Mad as Hell, FREAKY CHICK, angelbaby10105 and of course the wonderful Kimberly! Don't worry, the next (and last) part will be coming way faster (even more so if I get a lot of reviews **nudge, nudge**).

* * *

The whole team looked on in amazement as the last rays of sunlight vanished behind the bumpy horizon. Kathryn's eyes were glued to the sign, her mind racing to comprehend its meaning. Was it a vision, a dream, the last remnants of a race long dead? But then what did the sign mean? Was it just a strange coincidence, which had prompted her crew to use the same name the sign held? She doubted even Tuvok, the ever-precise Vulcan, would estimate that chance as anything other than zero.

The sun by now had truly set, taking with it the last source of light, so Kathryn could no longer distinguish the letters that puzzled her so. She tore her eyes away from the dark silhouette that was the only visible remainder of the sign and turned back to her crewmen. Her eyes moved across the group, seeing her own questions reflected in each of their eyes. Her gaze lingered longest on Chakotay, questioning, imploring and understanding flashing between the two of them until she voiced the question that was on all of their minds.

"What the hell is going on here?"

"Isn't it obvious, Kathy?" Q, appearing for the second time that day, asked in a voice that clearly indicated it should be. "I built you a city!" Another round of silence followed his proudly spoken words.

"You what!" Kathryn finally exclaimed after a few moments of staring dumbfound at the omnipotent alien.

"Well, you were planning to built a city too, weren't you? I just helped things along a bit." He waved his hand in a dismissive gesture while rolling his eyes and continued in his same arrogant tone of voice. "Not that you measly humans could have ever made such a beautiful city, of course, but it's the thought that counts. So, Kathy, what do you think?" But Kathryn merely gaped at him, too shocked to speak. Q looked at her with an expectant look that was almost sweet, obviously waiting for her rebuttal. When after a few minutes she still hadn't said anything, he huffed in his usual indignant manner, any trace of the earlier charm gone. "Oh well, it's no fun when you're not even throwing some insult at me." He was about to leave with a flourish when he suddenly seemed to remember something. "Oh I almost forgot! Since I technically can't interfere in your lives – the Continuum, you see – I can't allow you to use this city's technology to repair Voyager and resume your journey home. Therefore, we've come to an agreement; you, my dear Kathy, won't be able to leave the planet. After all, this crew won't leave their beloved Captain behind again, would they?" He quickly snapped his fingers, vanishing before anyone could stop him.

As if by silent agreement, everyone but Kathryn and Chakotay followed his example, returning to Voyager in order to give their commanding officers some privacy. Even after they'd left though, it took a long time before either of them spoke. Kathryn was still staring at the city, even though nothing more could now be seen than a vague outline. Chakotay, who knew she was deep in thought, patiently waited for her to speak. When it didn't seem she was going to anytime soon, he decided to break the silence himself.

"What do you think; should we call the planet _Vora_ or use its official name _Karim III_ and name the city _Vora_, as Q obviously had in mind?" He purposely said it in a light voice, hoping to shake Kathryn out of her musings. Her answer, however, acted like a bucket of ice water, making him feel as if he'd been frozen to the ground.

"It's only fitting to name the city _Vora_, after all, it'll be used to repair _Voyager_. That is, if there's anything left of it once B'Elanna's through with it."

"you don't seriously think we'll leave you behind, do you?" The slight edge of his voice showed he was afraid he already knew the answer.

"Of course you will! It's the only available option. Just promise me you'll get that crew home, Chakotay."

"No!" He, by now, was as close to shouting as he ever got. "I won't let you sacrifice yourself, Kathryn!"

"I'm not sacrificing myself; I'm saving my crew!" Kathryn yelled back at him.

"Maybe they don't want to be saved; at least not like this. Do you really think they'd abandon you here, Kathryn, alone?"

"Why not, they've done it before!"

"They came back for us on New Earth!"

"Because they had the antidote, a solution. There is no way out this time, Chakotay, no loophole! And I can't let them throw away what may be our only chance of getting home because of me!"

"And what about you? Don't you deserve to get home too?"

"I can't go home! Didn't you hear Q; I can't leave this planet!"

"Then we'll stay with you." Chakotay now sounded resolved rather than angry.

"You were saying that I deserve to get home, well what about you? Or Harry? Or Tom, or Tal Celes? Shouldn't they get home too? And what about Naomi; doesn't she deserve to see her father? **I** can't go home, but you can. All you have to do is leave me here." They stared at each other, reading the determination in the other's eyes. Each was now fighting for what they loved the most: their crew – and each other. Hope, desperation, courage and guilt all showed in the slight sheen of Kathryn's eyes, while fear, worry and love swam in his dark pools. After an eternity that lasted just a few moments, Chakotay whispered two last words, "I can't", before he turned around and walked back to Voyager alone, leaving Kathryn to stare after him until he was swallowed by the darkness, before finally letting loose the tears she'd been fighting.

**-()-o-()-**

It wasn't until almost an hour later that Kathryn finally re-boarded Voyager. The corridors she passed were abandoned and she realized how late it was. Slowly and in silence, she made her way through the empty hallways back to her quarters. Her mind was already on the coming goodbyes. So absorbed in her thoughts she was that the sound of her beeping combadge nearly made her jump.

"Torres to Janeway." While silently berating herself for her jitteriness, Janeway halted just short of a turbolift and hit her badge.

"Janeway here. What is it, Lieutenant?"

"We're having some problems down in the mess hall," B'Elanna's strangely nervous voice said, "could you come and lent us a hand?"

"Sure, I'll be right there. Janeway out."

**-()-o-()-**

With a brisk pace, the Captain strode into the mess hall – and froze when she saw how crowded it was. On queue, the crowd parted for her, forming a path to the centre of the room where Chakotay was standing, together with the rest of the senior staff.

"What is the meaning of this?" Though her voice sounded threatening, her eyes shifted from side to side like a cornered animal.

"Chakotay told the crew what you were planning as soon as he got back. We're here to tell we don't want that." Tom sounded uncharacteristically serious and devoid of his usual jokes.

"We won't leave this planet without you." B'Elanna continued in a soft tone.

"If you can't go, we don't go." Harry finished steadfastly. Kathryn looked around at the faces of her crew, each of them determined, her expression still resembling that of a cornered animal. The crew remained quiet, practically holding their breath. Suddenly she turned around and left, leaving behind an anxious crew.

**-()-o-()-**

"Where's the Captain?" Harry asked B'Elanna, practically bursting into the room that now posed as Engineering at the same time. She turned to him with a frown on her face, but, with her precious engines just about squashed and the rest of Voyager in shambles, that didn't necessarily have anything to do with his question. Now though, her scowl deepened and Harry knew it wasn't good.

"She went to _Vora_, the city." Harry felt the knot in his stomach begin to tighten. He knew he didn't really want to know more, but his mouth didn't seem to grasp that concept.

"Why?"

"She didn't say and I didn't ask. But she had the same look on her face as she had in the Void, just before ordering us to go to the wormhole and leave her behind to deal with the Malon." Harry heard that underneath her frown, B'Elanna sounded very worried. "It was about an hour ago; Chakotay went after her." Harry nodded hopefully.

"If anyone can talk her out of staying behind, it's the Commander." They smiled at each other, though neither smile seemed convincing; they both remembered their Captain's guilt during their time in the void and how bent she had been on sacrificing herself for her crew. Only a miracle could save them now.

**-()-o-()-**

"Status!" The worry shone out of his obsidian eyes when Chakotay entered the Bridge fifteen minutes late for his shift. Luckily for the bridge crew, they had time to wipe any smile of their face and quickly return to their work while Tuvok stoically reported Voyager's status. One look at the Commander's worried face was enough for Harry to know that he hadn't gotten anywhere with the Captain. With a disappointed sigh and careful to avoid drawing Chakotay's attention, he went back to work.

When his shift was over, Harry hurried into the turbo lift and ordered it to deck eight, where the exits to the planet were. Within a few minutes, he was on _Karim III_ and headed for _Vora_ with a determined step, hoping to find his Captain in the soon-to-be darkened city. After a lot of searching, he found her sitting in one of the smallest houses; all lights were turned off while she stared through a window. The resemblance between this scene and the one he had seen a few times when he caught the Captain looking out her view ports when he came to deliver a report struck him immediately and he had to swallow hard before he was able to draw her attention.

"Captain?" The short silence made his heart rush in fear.

"What is it, Harry?" She didn't turn around, merely stood there staring off into the dark night sky.

"Can I have a word with you?"

"Sure Harry, what is it?" She finally turned to face him and Harry could barely contain a startle. Her eyes, strangely big in her pale face, looked dead; they showed no sign of the strong woman he had come to respect and love like a mother in the past years. The moonlight made her face look stark and white, resembling a skeleton. He was almost afraid he was too late, that there was no one left behind those staring eyes for him to save. But then, a small flicker of life appeared in her eyes, so fast it was gone before he could truly believe it was there. That split second of life though, gave him the courage to continue.

"Please don't make me leave."

**-()-o-()-**

Morning found Janeway at the top of the hills overlooking _Vora_. Her eyes held life again, even though the bags underneath them told of little sleep. She had spent the previous night talking to Harry, hearing his ideas, his unwillingness to leave her behind, even if that meant never seeing Earth again. Listening to the young Ensign had made Kathryn realize what a fine crew she had and, perhaps even more important, that they wouldn't abandon their Captain and would even disobey her orders if necessary. Now she was waiting for Chakotay, who Harry had gone to get. In her head, she was already going over the different crewmembers and things they would need, trying to plan as much as possible for their impending move to the city.

The sound of footsteps and a slight crack behind her made her turn around to see her First Officer a few feet away. He was looking apprehensive, unsure why she had asked him to come here. She realized the breaking twig she had heard had been intentional on his part, because he had wanted to give her some warning he was coming. She gave him a crooked smile and saw him relaxing. With a pat on the ground, she told him to sit down and he settled himself comfortably next to her. They both stared at the city beneath them for a few moments, comfortable silence surrounding them, before Kathryn turned back to him and again smiled a crooked grin.

"I'm sorry, Chakotay."

His eyes remained attached to _Vora_ just a moment longer, but then he too turned to face her. "What for?"

"I made your job even more difficult. I ignored your advice and shut you out because you were looking out for me. Again. Can you forgive your old captain for her foolishness?" Chakotay was no match for her pleading eyes.

"You're hardly old, Kathryn." His dimpled smile told her all she needed to know. Janeway grinned relieved and patted his thigh.

"Luckily I've got my best friend to remind me of that."

"Oh, it's strictly self-preservation: I'm only a few years younger than you are, so if you're old, I can't be young either." Her merry laugh lifted his heart and he was happy to see her cheerful again.

"Now I remember why I keep you around."

Chakotay pretended to be insulted. "And here I thought it was because of my great tactical skills and for being such a fine First Officer."

"Well, not to say I don't appreciate those attributes, but really, next to your dimples, your talent to keep your Captain amused is your greatest asset."

The lively sparkle in her eyes made him bold and invited a wicked grin of his own, which brought out said dimples. "How exactly are these dimples my greatest assets?"

Kathryn blushed slightly, hesitating for just a moment. "They make you look younger." She replied with a small wink. They simply looked at each other for a moment before they both burst into laughter. When after a few minutes their laughter faded, they sat in comfortable silence, enjoying the silent moments just spent being together.

"So, I'm guessing you didn't ask me here just to apologize. What was it you wanted to talk about, Kathryn?" Janeway remained silent and for a moment Chakotay thought she hadn't heard him, but then her eyes moved away from the spot of grass they had been studying and she gave him a smile.

"You know me too well." She seemed quite content with that fact. "Yesterday, when I went to _Vora_ to think." Chakotay remained silent, but did raise an eyebrow in a Vulcan-like gesture. "Alright, to feel sorry for myself. Anyway, while I didn't exactly pay attention, I did notice that it seemed somewhat familiar. So, this morning while Harry was getting you, I took another walk through _Vora_ and discovered that the buildings are placed in the same pattern as they are on Voyager. For example: the streets are numbered as decks 1 through 15 and on 'deck 1' is a large town hall, which I think signifies the bridge, with a few smaller rooms for meetings, like conference rooms. On 'deck 11' is a large power station, there's a hospital on 'deck 5' and a few buildings that are supposedly meant for restaurants or café's are located on 'deck 2'. There are also a lot of open areas complete with control panels surrounding the 'Voyager' part of _Vora_. I'm not sure what those are, but I think Q has kept in mind additions to the city."

Chakotay raised his eyebrows in a barely noticeable expression of surprise. "Q has certainly given this a lot of thought." He commented. "What about housing, schools and food production?"

"As far as I could see there are a lot of buildings meant as housing, the same as or more than the quarters we have on Voyager, even if you don't count those open spaces around _Vora_. I haven't really paid attention to schools or farms." Kathryn quickly searched her memory. "No, I really wouldn't know. We'll have to make a few maps of _Vora_; that would make this a lot easier. We can't really assign housing until we know exactly what we have." Chakotay nodded in agreement.

"I'll send some people from Stellar Cartography to do that; it should fall right into their area of expertise." Kathryn concurred and motioned for him to continue. He hesitated for a second before breaching the next subject. "I also think we should hold a memorial of some kind for the crewmembers who didn't survive the crash. Or maybe for all those who died in the Delta Quadrant."

Kathryn nodded grimly. "I should have thought of that myself. Good, shall we hold that the day after tomorrow?" She didn't look at him to see what he thought, but cast her eyes over the valley while outlining the rest of her plans. "That should give Neelix enough time to plan it and for B'Elanna to see what we'll be able to use of Voyager once we're leaving on the planet. And then the day after the memorial we'll start planning our move to _Vora_. What do you think?"

Chakotay smiled. "Sounds like a plan to me."

Kathryn returned the smile and inclined her head slightly. "Alright, let's go and put this plan into action then, shall we?" Full of new determination, they got up and calmly walked back to Voyager.

**-()-o-()-**

The next few days were busy ones for everyone as they helped Neelix with his preparations for the memorial, mapped _Vora_ or worked on B'Elanna's ship wide inventory. But even with those busy schedules, a lot of the crew found the time to assure Janeway that they didn't mind this situation in the least; they were all willing to stay on _Karim III_, even if that meant never reaching the Alpha Quadrant. In the immortal words of Tom Paris: 'It's a small price to pay for staying with such a wonderful – and lovely – Captain.' (a statement which had caused a lot of applause and cheering and had even brought a smile to Kathryn's face).

The day after the memorial, the command team, as planned, started preparing the move of Voyager's crew to _Vora_. With the recently finished maps from Stellar Cartography at ready, they took another walk through Vora, discussing their different options.

"I don't know, Chakotay. I just don't think it's fair to assign these houses like we did crew quarters. What right do we have to let someone live in one of the smaller houses just because they were an ensign on Voyager. Those ranks will probably loose their meaning once we're living in a city, or at the least become less important. How can I rightfully live in that **castle** Q made as the Captain's Quarters when it could easily fit a few families! I can't do that, Chakotay, not when it's my fault we're stranded here in the first place."  
Chakotay had listened quietly while she talked and had even nodded in agreement a few times, but at hearing that last sentence suddenly lost his temper. "How many times do we have to tell you?" He asked, half angry and half desperate. "It's not your fault we're here! You did what you had to do." Kathryn was visibly startled by his harsh tone and Chakotay quickly lowered his voice. "Why can't you believe that?" The anguish in his face showed Kathryn clearly how much this affected him.

"I'm sorry, Chakotay, I never realized how much this bothered you." She apologized.

He smiled to show her it was okay. "I just hate to see you that sad." His voice had returned to its normal soft tone. "But we were discussing how to divide housing. I think the best way to do that is to just let everybody keep his or her own quarters, at least for now. We can always switch them later."

"What about roommates?" Kathryn inquired. "A lot of the ensigns now share a room. I know we agreed to that so there'd be a few extra rooms in case we ever needed it and for power preservation, but those reasons don't seem so relevant here. Should we split them? If we do, the original system wouldn't work anymore." She had a contemplative wrinkle on her brow, one that was matched by the one on Chakotay's face.

"Well, some of them might not even **want** to split. The Delaney sisters for instance; they don't seem to mind sharing a room. Neither do a few of the others. And some crewmembers would even like to share a house here. I don't know about Tom, but I think B'Elanna is feeling quite serious about their relationship."

"Living on a planet will certainly encourage the crew to start relationships." Kathryn intoned.

"They'll start to pair off eventually, you mean?" Chakotay asked with a smile.

"Something like that." Kathryn's famous crooked grin had appeared. "And there are probably also people who would want to move, get different neighbours."

"That's possible." Chakotay nodded thoughtfully. "They have forged a lot of friendships over the years and I think a few would like to live closer together. The only problem is how we are going to organize all this?"

Kathryn shrugged. "Why don't we just let them figure that out for themselves? We let everyone write down their preferences: close to whom, alone or with someone else – those off course will have to be given by both parties involved – and perhaps also who they wouldn't want to live next to. We'll go over those together once we have them all and see how usable it is."

Chakotay smiled. "I think that's a good idea – on one condition."

His smile was infectious and soon Kathryn was grinning too. "And what would that be?"

"That I get to live close to the Captain; I really like her and I've gotten used to living next door to her over the past few years." Though his tone was light, his eyes conveyed a certain seriousness.

Kathryn smiled back tenderly and patted his arm. "Oh, I don't think she'd mind. In fact, I think she'd be very glad to know all those difficult traits of hers haven't caused you to tire of her company." Her voice almost cracked at the end, having trouble bypassing the lump in her throat.

"I don't think that could ever happen; she's much too precious to me." Their eyes locked and they both smiled.

"I'm glad." Her hand slid off his arm as he moved to place a hand on the small of her back. After a few minutes of strolling silently down 'deck 3' like that, Kathryn returned to their original topic, thought their closeness didn't change. "Well, now that that's settled, our only problem is the different size houses."

But as it turned out, that was one puzzle that solved itself just a few days later.

**-()-o-()-**

"Torres to Janeway." Kathryn, secretly glad for the interruption, put down the report on the different type of buildings she had been ploughing through and answered her comm.

"Janeway here. What is it, B'Elanna?"

"Have you read Seven's report on the structures in Vora?" B'Elanna sounded strangely breathless.

"I'm reading it now. Why?"

"Good. Go to the chapter 'buildings constructed for the purpose of habitation'." B'Elanna continued, completely ignoring Kathryn's question. Janeway quickly skipped to the right part in Seven's rather detailed report.

"Yes?"

"How many different buildings are there?"

"Five." Kathryn was starting to become impatient.

"Just as I thought." Having received the answer to her query, the Chief Engineer seemed to have completely forgotten about her Captain, who was on the verge of demanding an explanation. Luckily for B'Elanna, she became aware of her superior's impatience when said Captain cleared her throat and she hastened to tell what she'd found. "Captain, I think we've just found a way to change the size of a house."

A pause. "What? Are you sure, B'Elanna?" Kathryn could hardly believe her ears. Then she remembered Q was responsible for the creation of the city and knew anything was possible.

"No, I'll have to test it to be sure, but I thought you might want to be here for that." Anything else B'Elanna had wanted to say was cut off as Kathryn jumped out of her chair and practically sprinted out the Ready Room door, remembering that it opened on the Bridge just in time to slow down before the doors opened.

"Where are you now?" Kathryn was now halfway across the Bridge and decided to bring along Chakotay, who miraculously managed to hand over the Bridge to the Lieutenant at Ops and step in before the lift doors closed.

"At the power station on 'deck 11'."

"We'll be right there." The link was terminated before B'Elanna could ask who 'we' were. With a shrug, she returned her attention to the fascinating collection of buttons and controls in front of her.

**-()-o-()-**

An hour passed before the Captain and Commander returned to the Bridge and went straight to the Ready Room. B'Elanna's discovery had been even more wondrous than they'd expected; not only was the size of the buildings adjustable, ranging from reasonably big for one person to big enough for a large family and a wide selection of pets and other animals and still have room to spare – the type Kathryn had referred to as a 'castle' – but the style was also costume designable. In addition to the controls in the power plant which regulated the size, each house also had its own control panel that allowed the owner to change its whole appearance at will. Roof, number of floors, staircases, kitchen, bathroom, living room, porch, doors – everything was modifiable. As Chakotay had joked, the only thing missing was a roll-out garden. This new discovery had immediately solved their earlier problems with the assignment of housing. All left to decide now was whether everyone got to choose the size of their own house or if that would depend on the number of people living in it. With renewed energy, they went on with the planning.

**-()-o-()-**

It took another few days, but finally, more than two weeks after Q had first shown them _Vora_ and nearly a month and a half since their crash on the planet, Voyager's crew was finally ready to move into their new homes. Spirits were high the day of the move; most saw this as a new adventure, or just the continuation of the old one. It also helped that everyone had just about gotten the neighbours he or she wanted and moved into a house that was not only a lot bigger than their quarters, had every piece of equipment in it they could want – and some that had taken B'Elanna's team quite a few days to figure out what they were supposed to do – and to top it off could be altered and changed to become exactly what they wanted. Everyone got a few days to move to _Vora_, get used to their new surroundings and change their house to fit their preferences, before they had to get back to work, be it different from what they usually did. Kathryn, having grown up around the farming lands of Indiana, hadn't needed anyone to tell her that the planet's fall was almost halfway past and that, if they wanted fresh foods next spring, they would have to plant the seeds for crops now. Because they had to act fast, everyone was called on to help; people to take care of the growing food supply would be appointed later. For now, their main priority was making sure they'd have a good harvest next year.

**-()-o-()-**

The next few weeks passed swiftly and before they knew it all the seeds were sown, everyone had settled into their new life and found something to do and the winter had made its appearance. The days were growing shorter and the cold drove most people inside. Tom rode around in his newly constructed vehicles, drove them to their limits, found another flaw – however minor – in the design and called on Harry to help him fix it until, after a few days, they build a new prototype or modified the old one and started the cycle all over. Harry had also contrived to start up a band again and he and the 'Kimtones' were planning a concert soon. The Doctor was happily testing the new gadgets and medical equipment he'd found in the city's hospital to their limits, Neelix was opening a restaurant, as was Chell, using vegetables from the hydroponics bays, and Seven was further exploring her humanity. If she wasn't playing on her piano (which had mysteriously appeared in her house the day after she'd expressed her wish to learn more about music) she was learning about it – or other aspects of her humanity – from Harry. Chakotay had taken up woodcarving again and was building everything from furniture, which was in high demand from the other Voyagers or Voragers, to toys for Naomi. Kathryn had regained her scientific life and B'Elanna'd immediately picked up her old job as Chief Engineer and claimed the power plant as her domain. After a few weeks of taking apart everything she could find and flicking every switch on the planet – not always with the best results as everyone agreed after the great power shutdown of the first day – she knew the city better than even Q, though she was smart enough not to say that too loudly as the omnipotent pest had the habit of showing up whenever his name was mentioned – not unlike the devil, as one Earthborn Ensign claimed, though she couldn't remember exactly what that old proverb had been.

All in all, things were going peacefully and Chakotay was humming softly to himself as he walked the few meters from his house to Kathryn's for dinner, like they did almost every night nowadays. On Voyager, those dinners had been to discuss business or to relax after a long day of reports, but here they'd simply been a way for them to spend some time together – and for Chakotay to teach her how to cook.

Some days, a few of the former senior staff joined them, but mostly it was just the two of them, swapping news, remembering other times or simply enjoying each others company. Today though, they had guests; guests with a very important announcement and some equally important questions.

Chakotay rang the doorbell, knowing his normal knock would probably not be enough to get Kathryn's attention as he was a bit earlier than usual and she was likely still busy with her research. And indeed, it took a while before she opened the door. He was just about to ring a second time when the door opened, revealing a towel-clad Kathryn with a sheepish expression on her make-up-free face.

"You're early! I didn't expect you for another hour." She absentmindedly brushed a lock of hair behind her ear.

"I thought we might make one of my mother's recipes tonight, but that takes a while to prepare." He nodded slightly towards her momentary robe. "I'm sorry if I came at a bad time."

Kathryn blushed slightly but made no effort to pull the towel around her tighter like she'd done on New Earth." That's all right. I was done a bit early today and thought a bath would be nice before our dinner with Tom and B'Elanna." The stubborn lock had fallen down her face again and she impatiently brushed it away. "Why don't you start and I'll be right down." She let him in before disappearing upstairs.

True to her word, she joined him in the kitchen no more than fifteen minutes later. Chakotay was just searching through the drawers for a certain knife when she stepped in wearing a long dark blue dress.

"I didn't know we were going formal today." Chakotay joked, noticing her dress and the matching necklace and earrings. "I'd better go back home and change." He was wearing a comfortable tan shirt and jeans.

"B'Elanna contacted me earlier; she thought it might be nice to make the night a bit special. I figured she'd contacted you too. Don't worry, you can replicate something and change here, it doesn't really matter."

Chakotay smiled. "Are you sure your replicator rations can take that? I wouldn't want to rob you of your precious coffee. I know how important it is to you." Kathryn pretended to slap him, but he quickly ducked away.

"Oh, you're worth it. Even though this looks pretty good on you," she teasingly fingered his apron; "you look even better in a nice suit." She grinned at him, only half joking. After a few seconds, her grin turned into a smirk as she continued teasing. "Besides, that'll give me an excuse to steal your rations when I'm out." He burst into chuckles at her mock serious face, quickly joined by her throaty laughter.

"So what're we making?" She finally asked, directing the conversation back to dinner. With a startled exclamation, Chakotay made a strange dash towards one of the forgotten pots.

**-()-o-()-**

The bell rang. "Stop tugging on your shirt!" B'Elanna hissed to her uncomfortable companion.

"I feel like I'm a teenager again and I'm meeting my girlfriend's parents for the first time. Why couldn't I just wear that 'Formula I' shirt?" Tom wined.

"Because," B'Elanna replied, her tone suggesting she'd answered that question at least ten times before, "Kathryn and I thought it would be fun to make it a bit more formal. Besides, it isn't every day you tell your **friends**." She put extra emphasis on the word, "that you're planning on getting married." She slapped at his hand as he was about to tug on the collar of his shirt again. Wiping a spot of imaginary lint off his suit, she turned around just as Kathryn, looking stunning in a long evening gown and jewellery, opened the front door.

"Ah, there you are. Come on in, dinner's just ready." She stepped aside to let the younger couple pass.

"You didn't cook, did you?" Tom joked, quickly dropping the hand that was once again moving to his shirt as he saw B'Elanna's glare.

Kathryn chuckled. "Don't worry, Tom, Chakotay supervised." At that moment, the person in question called from upstairs.

"Kathryn?" He sounded slightly uneasy.

"Yes?"

"Could you come up for a moment, please?" Kathryn dramatically rolled her eyes and looked at B'Elanna conspiringly.

"Men; can't even dress on their own. Make yourselves comfortable and we'll be there in a moment." She led them to the dining room before going to see what Chakotay wanted. When she'd gone, Tom raised a speculative eyebrow, his uncomfortable shirt momentarily forgotten.

"Well, maybe we should start up those old betting pools again; it seems they're finally getting together this time."

"Oh shut up, Flyboy." B'Elanna said, pushing him in a chair, though her voice was light. "Remember all the other times you said that?"  
"Yeah," Tom replied, not deterred in the least if his twinkling eyes were any indication. "But I'm right this time; I'm sure of it." B'Elanna just shook her head, not even bothering to counter his words. Only time would tell.

**-()-o-()-**

"Dinner was great." B'Elanna complimented as they moved to the couch for some after-dinner coffee.

"Thank you," Kathryn replied, "the recipe belonged to Chakotay's mother. I'm just glad it's not as difficult as it looked." For some reason, that answer made B'Elanna's eyes nearly fall out of their sockets and cast a quick look at Chakotay, but he didn't notice as he was busy getting coffee and herbal tea from the replicator. Kathryn didn't seem to have seen it either for she just continued. "You sounded like you wanted to tell us something earlier, what is it?"

"Well," B'Elanna said, hesitating slightly and exchanging a look with Tom. When everybody had sat down with a cup of tea or coffee in front of them, she continued. "Tom and I are getting married." It came out a bit hurried and Kathryn noticed how B'Elanna gripped Tom's hand. She shared a glance with Chakotay; they'd discussed this while preparing dinner and had expected something of this nature. Simultaneously, they broke into a wide smile.

"That's wonderful news!" Kathryn gushed.

"When's the big day?" Chakotay followed with a brotherly smile. Tom and B'Elanna looked relieved.

"We haven't exactly picked a date yet." Tom answered, glowing like it was his wedding day already.

"But we want it sometime in the coming month." B'Elanna quickly added, no less excited.

"Well, congratulations!"

"Thanks. But that's not all." B'Elanna glanced at Tom again. "We'd like you to lead the ceremony, Kathryn, you know, as former Captain. And Chakotay, I'd like you to give me away. You're kind of a brother to me and, well, I'd really like it if you would…" B'Elanna was by now nearly stuttering.

"I'd be honoured to." Chakotay said, saving her further uncomfortable moments.

"As would I, B'Elanna."

B'Elanna smiled delighted. "Great. We've asked Harry to be best man and Seven's gonna be Maid of Honour."

"Seven?" Kathryn was surprised that, after all the hostilities between the two women, Seven would act as B'Elanna's Maid of Honour.

B'Elanna blushed slightly and shrugged. "She's mellowed since she got together with Harry and she's been a great help in the power plant." Chakotay and Kathryn shared an amused smile; none of them had forgotten how much B'Elanna had valued Seven's help in Engineering. Then, Chakotay lifted his cup for a toast.

"To your wedding and marriage; may you live long, happy, and learn not to kill each other in the process!"

Tom chuckled. "I'll drink to that!" Everyone laughed at B'Elanna's indignant glare and raised their glass.

"To B'Elanna and Tom!"

**-()-o-()-**

"Well, that was nice." Tom commented as he and B'Elanna walked home after their dinner with the former Command Duo.

"Yes, it certainly was." B'Elanna agreed. "Hey Tom?"

"Yes, B'Elanna?"

"I think you're right." She shifted under his arm so she could look him in the eye. "You remember Kathryn told us they'd made dinner together and that they'd used one of his mother's recipes?"

"Yes." Tom replied, screwing up his face in an attempt to figure out where B'Elanna was going with this.

"Those recipes are secret and can only be passed on to someone in the family." B'Elanna explained. "I remember how Seska used to beg him for some of those recipes, I don't know why, maybe she thought that would prove how much he trusted her. Anyway, he never gave her even a scrap of them. Yet here he is, using them with the Captain."

"So…" Tom said, recognition dawning in his eyes. "Either they're very seriously involved…"

"Or he's pretty sure they will be. Either way, a relationship between those two is very probable."

"Of course," Tom continued, his smile fading a bit. "it can also mean he's given up and doesn't want those recipes to go to waste, so he's teaching them to the only person he could ever see as his wife." He exchanged a look with his fiancée, both their good moods taking a slight downward plunge. That theory was perhaps the most probable and, sadly enough, the least desirable.

**-()-o-()-**

Chakotay stopped. There, just a few meters away from him and exactly where he'd expected her to be, was Kathryn. He'd noticed that she'd been avoiding him for the past couple of weeks, ever since B'Elanna and Tom had announced their coming marriage, finding excuses for their usual joint dinners or else acting distant, though she tried hard to disguise it. And today she'd snuck out just after the two newly-weds. Finally feeling fed up with her strange silence and wanting to end her self-imposed isolation, he'd went after her. The first place he'd thought to look was the park that she'd gotten into the habit of visiting every day. Despite the cold, it was filled with flowers and plants of all colours, shapes and sizes, the doing of Q no doubt. But now, with nothing but the rays from the pale slice of moon to illuminate it, the cacophony of colour was for once dimmed and left behind little more than a grim place with shadows for company and the sounds of night creatures and rustling leaves for music, an eerie orchestra from the planet itself. Chakotay stood there for a short eternity, drawn by the vision of unearthly quality, which was beautiful in his eyes because of one unmoving segment, sitting on a small stone bench and looking for all the world like she belonged within the ghostly scene. Finally able to break the strange spell that had seemingly held him in its grasp, he took a step closer and accidentally stepped on an unnoticed twig, causing her to look up startled at the resulting crack, which sounded loudly in the silence.

"What are you doing here, Chakotay?" Her eyes were hidden from his sight by the darkness, but her voice sounded tired.

"I could ask the same of you, Kathryn. I noticed you were gone and decided to go find you and ask why you've been avoiding me lately." She turned her head away, back in the direction she'd been staring at before she'd heard him approach. To his surprise, she didn't deny having been avoiding him, but instead asked one of the questions he'd least expected her to ask.

"How do you feel about me, Chakotay?" He was momentarily dumbfounded, but then realised the answer she most likely wanted.

"You're my best friend." However she saw right through his words.

"That didn't answer my question. How do you feel about me?" He didn't know what to say and searched for words. She interpreted his silence as unwillingness to answer and continued herself. "I'm sorry, you shouldn't have to say the words first, not after last time." She moved again, looking his straight in the eye, her voice changing to a softer tone than before. "The truth is; I love you, Chakotay. I have for years. But I hid it too damn well, even from myself. I didn't even realize until New Earth, after your beautiful ancient legend. When Voyager came back that time, I had to bury those feelings again, afraid of loosing myself and the ability to guide our crew home if I didn't. Now, here, with no ship to captain and no crew to lead, I am finally able to act on those feelings."

Chakotay had finally regained the use of his voice, his heart beating loudly. "Then why didn't you?" She stared at him a few long moments and he noticed a sheen in her eyes, though he couldn't say for certain if it was from the moon or tears.

"Because I didn't think you still felt that way about me." He took a few steps closer, spanning the remaining space between them and sat down next to her on the small bench. He waited for her eyes to find his before speaking.

"I fell in love with you the day I met you; that moment on the Bridge when I wanted to attack Tom and you stepped between us. You were so close that I could have easily taken you hostage before anyone knew what was happening; yet you just stood there, not moving a muscle and simply staring at me with those piercing blue eyes of yours. Instead of becoming my prisoner, you captured me that day." His voice was just as calm and intense as it had been while he'd told her his angry warrior legend more than four years ago. When he paused, Kathryn kept staring at him, searching his eyes for what he was about to say. After a beat, he continued. "I never stopped."

It was silent for a moment and neither moved as their eyes remained linked, sharing a special bond. Then, Kathryn's face broke into a beaming smile, her eyes turning moist. Slowly, she lifted her hand to Chakotay's face, tenderly tracing the lines of his tattoo. In a few seconds, they'd somehow moved, holding each other in a tight embrace. And just as Kathryn had feared, now that she'd given in to her feelings, everything but the tall and gentle man holding her fled her mind, caught as she was in the sweet embrace of their changing relationship...


	4. Epilogue

Disclaimer: see part one.

* * *

Kathryn Janeway, former Captain of the Federation Starship Voyager and now resident of _Vora_, _Karim III_, smiled to herself as her gaze travelled the length of the large and beautiful hall. Her eyes took in all the special details: the lovely decorations, a lot of which had been made by little Naomi Wildman; the food and drinks, a joint effort from both local restaurants; the couples who were dancing in the left corner, their attention solely on their partners as they moved slowly to the gentle tones of the piano. Surrounded by all these familiar faces, she turned pensive and her mind travelled to a year back when they'd practically crash-landed on this now dearly loved planet, though she'd cursed it many times in the beginning. Thinking back to her almost frantic search for a way to leave this planet, which had nearly ended in her own desperate attempt to sacrifice herself by staying behind. She found it hard to believe now how much she had wanted to leave the planet that was now her home. Then she became sombre, as the faces of those they'd never see again drifted through her mind's eye; those of her crew who hadn't made it and those they'd forever left behind in the Alpha Quadrant. 

She silently left the room, leaving her wineglass on one of the assorted tables and looking back once before stepping through the doors into the cool night air. She quickly made her way to the park, unhindered by the absence of light. Remembering a night of months ago, when she had also visited this place after dark while a party – a wedding that time – had continued in the hall, she sat down on the stone bench. Letting her mind drift as she stared at the sleeping flora around, which trembled slightly in the cold late-summer breeze.

Just like that other night, she suddenly became aware of someone approaching her from behind, though she rather felt than heard his presence. She smiled, knowing he'd come looking for her just like last time. She didn't turn around.

"What is it, Chakotay, miss me already?" He came to stand behind her, wrapping his arms around her small frame and she happily snuggled into his embrace, feeling the low rumble as he chuckled softly.

"And here I thought you'd be happy to see me."

"Always, my love." She finally looked up at his handsome face and smiled tenderly. "But you do know you'll have to go to your own home tonight; the groom can't see the bride before the ceremony the day of the wedding, it's bad luck."

"I know." Chakotay sighed. "And I still wonder how I'll be able to stay away from you for that long."

Kathryn's grin turned up at the corners, looking slightly devilish. "I'm sure you'll manage." She shifted slightly. "But until then, you can keep me company here." He wordlessly sat down next to her and they remained there for a long time, spending the last few hours before their wedding day together.

_**Fine**_

_**Ab Urbe Condita **is a Latin saying that means 'from the founding of the city'. The Romans used it as a reference point to state the year (like we do with the birth of Christ – BC or AD) wherein the city of course referred to Rome (753 BC). It is also the title of Titus Livius' life's work, which comprised of 142 books that detailed the history of Rome from its founding some seven and a half centuries prior until his time (he was a good friend of emperor August's who ruled from 27 BC till 14 AD)._


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